The Three of Us
by Jessie611
Summary: Sequel to 'A New Life'


Jack lay staring at Michelle, her warm body tucked in beside him on the bed. Her skin was so soft and warm and he thought she was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen. He felt his heart contract as he thought about how much he loved her. Before she came along he hadn't realised he had so much capacity for love, had thought he'd invested every ounce of feeling in protecting and caring for those already in his heart. But she had proved him wrong.

He settled down beside her, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was nearly dawn, he realised he had little time to sleep before she'd wake and start demanding his attention. Not that he minded, he had suffered a lack of sleep for much less worthy people before and her style of attention seeking was something he could put up with for a lifetime. He gave a smile of contentment as he drifted off to sleep.

Less than two hours later he was startled awake, not by Michelle but by the sight of the fiery blond standing beside the bed, hands on hips and a scowl on her face. The sight of Chloe in their bedroom was enough to make him jump guiltily from the bed, stubbing his toe as he went.

"So this is what you get up to when I'm away at a conference" she said with a roll of her eyes.

Jack was busy hopping up and down, clasping his foot in his hand and stuttering madly as he tried to explain what was going on.

Chloe just stood staring at him with a bland look on her face, waiting for him to calm down and get his act together. Secretly she found his response both amusing and endearing, but she wasn't going to let him know that – yet.

Jack stopped hopping and ran his hands through his hair, glancing at the sleeping form in their bed, and then looking back at his wife.

"What're you doing home so soon?" he asked sleepily "I wasn't expecting you until later today".

"Well, it's a good job that I did come home early Jack, otherwise I'd have never found out about you breaking the rules as soon as my back was turned."

He moved towards her, his hands snaking around her waist and pulling her body towards him. "Baby, I know how you like rules and regulations but sometimes they just have to be broken. I'd have thought working at CTU would have taught you that, you never seemed to have a problem rule breaking there."

His lips were tracing the line of her neck and she knew he was just trying to distract her from the issue. She tried to stay focused but the combination of tiredness from the journey home and the sensation of his mouth on her skin were clouding her mind.

The whimpering sound that was not coming from her own lips suddenly reminded Chloe of the other person who had taken her place in their bed. She pushed at Jack's chest and moved back towards the bed. She leant down and peered at Michelle whose eyes were just fluttering open.

Chloe smiled as she saw the pale blue eyes focus on her and she reached out to stroke the blond curls on her daughter's head.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah baby, it's me. How're you doing?"

The smile that spread across the features of the little girl tugged at Chloe's heart as she gently lifted Michelle into her arms then turned to sit on the side of the bed. Chloe rocked her daughter as her face was covered in tiny butterfly kisses.

"I missed you mommy" Michelle said in a small voice.

"Missed you too baby, so much" Chloe said, a catch in her voice as she breathed in the warm scent of her daughter's hair.

Michelle snuggled into her mother's arms and her eyes drooped slowly, Chloe took the opportunity to take her back into her own room but not before she glanced at Jack and saw the look of utter love on his face.

Jack had thanked whatever force had given him Chloe and their daughter many times over the course of the past three years. He loved his wife more than he thought possible. He smiled to himself as he recalled when she'd first started working for him; back then it had never even entered his thoughts to believe that they would end up together. If anyone had told him that they would be he would have laughed harder than he ever had done before.

But his initial assumption that they wouldn't be compatible had been proved wrong time and time again. Now he couldn't figure out how he'd gone so long without her, how he'd only looked on her as a friend. He remembered the moment he thought of her as something else, when he'd been living under an assumed identity and she was his only link to his old life. She'd been there for him when he was at his lowest point and that had been when Michelle had been conceived. He thought of the months of turmoil afterwards and the difficulty he had trying to convince her that he loved her and wanted to be with her.

Chloe walked back into their bedroom and stretched her aching muscles. Jack walked towards her and pulled her towards him.

"Missed you" he said gently into her hair.

"Missed you too" she said before she poked him roughly in the chest "but that's no excuse for letting Michelle sleep in our bed. I want her to be clear that this is our space and that won't work if every time I turn my back you give in to her."

"I know honey, but…"

"No buts Jack, it's for your benefit as much as it is mine. I want to know I can have sex with you whenever I want, without worrying about being interrupted."

Jack smiled as he kissed her gently, when his lips left hers he rested his head against her brow, saying "I can't argue with that kind of logic."

"Good" she said as she pushed him back onto the bed, standing in front of him as she removed her clothes.

She saw his eyes glaze over as she slid into bed next to him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him passionately, only breaking their contact when they were both breathless.

"I love you Chloe" Jack said as he flipped her onto her back and lay over her.

"I know you do" she said in a stern voice as she moved against him, but the look of love in her face belied her harsh tone.


End file.
